


Just Keep Swimming

by buckysbears (DrZebra)



Series: Flappy Family [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Aquariums, Autistic Character, Autistic Fitz, Autistic Jemma, F/M, Fitzsimmons kid - Freeform, Fluff, Kid Fic, Zoo, this installment is less educational and just fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 07:33:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13185312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrZebra/pseuds/buckysbears
Summary: It's Caroline Fitz-Simmons' fifth birthday. The trip to the zoo doesn't exactly go like Fitz and Jemma planned.(Autistic Fitzsimmons family fic)





	Just Keep Swimming

**Author's Note:**

> unlessimwrongwhichyouknowimnot/achillesmonkey prompted: "Caroline asks for a pet fish for her birthday, so they decide to surprise her with an aquarium, cue Jemma's research mode"
> 
> anon prompted: “taking Caroline to the zoo to see the monkeys for the first time”

Fitz shifts so the young girl is in between he and Jemma, head on his shoulder and legs wrapped around his waist. She’s still a tiny thing. Fitz isn’t the most muscular person, but lifting her is like barely lifting anything. And he loves holding his little Caroline. It still astounds him that she’s even real, that he and Jemma actually created another person. He knows it’s the most natural thing in the world, but it feels straight out of a science fiction (but what in their life doesn’t, really?).

“Caroline,” Jemma says, grinning as they walk through the ticket booth and into the main area. “Do you know why we’re here today?”

Caroline keeps her head on Fitz’s shoulder, and begins absentmindedly chewing on her fingers. Fitz holds up the chew necklace she has on, and she takes that and puts it in her mouth instead.

Jemma continues, unfazed, “Today’s your birthday, sweetheart. You’re five today. Do you know how many that is?”

Caroline pulls the chew out of her mouth, looking pensive. “The dwarf seahorse can move five feet in an hour.”

“That’s right,” Jemma confirms, “you’ve lived as many years as the seahorse has moved in feet.”

Jemma isn’t sure Caroline can comprehend that analogy, but the girl gives a thoughtful hum. She seems to take pleasure in the sound and continues to hum, loudly, then quietly, then loudly again, a tuneless song, just enjoying the feeling. Fitz and Jemma smile.

“We’re gonna make a quick stop first,” Fitz says. “Then we’ll get to the main event.”

The ‘quick stop’ is, Fitz has no problem admitting, a completely selfish endeavor. A little part of him wants to share this with her. He wants them to have this in common.

Once they get there, he waits with bated breath for her reaction. She considers it deeply, staring into the enclosure. One of the orangutans walks right up to the glass before her, and presses it’s nose onto the pane to inspect her more closely.

Fitz bites his lip to keep from squealing in excitement. Jemma snaps a picture behind them.

Caroline sniffs, and scratches a nail through a dirty spot on the glass (Jemma gives a discontented hum at the sight). She twists her lips as she ducks her head to look at her fish-shaped chew.

“Is there fish here?” she asks eventually, and Fitz’s heart breaks, just a little.

He lets his head fall softly against the glass. “Oh, it hurts,” he chokes out dramatically. “Jem, I might be dying. I’m wounded, Jemma.”

Jemma smacks his arm, and puts her phone back in her pocket so she can pick up Caroline. “Yes, darling, there are fish here. That’s where we’re going next.”

Caroline doesn’t smile, but she starts wiggling back and forth quickly. Jemma places her back on the ground so she can finish her wiggling without the chance of Jemma dropping her. She continues for a minute, and then raises her hands.

“Got your wiggles out?” Jemma asks, and Caroline nods. She picks her back up. “Alright, let’s go see the fish.”

Jemma walks away, and then turns around. Fitz hasn’t followed them, he’s still leaning against the orangutan enclosure, clutching his chest. Jemma rolls her eyes.

“If you need some time alone, we’re going to go to the aquarium.”

Fitz lets out a shaky sigh, and shakes his head. “No, no. I’ll live, I think. Just give me a moment.”

“Daddy’s so dramatic, isn’t he?” Jemma whispers, and Caroline makes a snorting-type noise.

“Hey,” Fitz whines, offended.

“Sorry,” Jemma says, lips curling in a playful smile. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”

They loop around back toward the aquarium, and Jemma sets down Caroline and grabs her hand as they walk in. Caroline is quiet as they enter, adjusting to the low, ambient lighting. There are bubbles and fish painted on the walls of the entrance, and Caroline stops to stare at them.

Jemma and Fitz stop as well. Caroline stares for a long time.

“You know, there are real fish we can look at around the corner,” Jemma tells her.

Caroline is in a trance.

“What kind of fish are those?” Fitz asks.

That seems to break her out of it. “ _Cetoscarus bicolor_ ,” she says, “bicolor parrotfish.” She taps on her front teeth.

They make their way around the corner. There are six aquariums in this room, two on each wall, and two cylindrical ones in the middle of the room. There are all sorts of colorful fish in the aquariums, which seem to have a tropical theme. They swim around large chunks of equally colorful coral, a dizzying swarm of hues. Though the room is dark, the aquariums are lit well, the water a deep aquamarine.

Fitz and Jemma wait for her reaction.

Caroline bursts into tears.

“Oh no,” Jemma says, quickly crouching and putting her hand on the small girl’s back. “Darling, what’s wrong?”

Caroline sobs harder, landing hard on her butt as her legs give out under her.

Getting a few dirty looks, Fitz scoops the girl up and dashes outside.

Once back in the sunlight, he adjusts so he can wrap her in a tight hug, and rocks with her back and forth. Jemma looks on, worried, hands pressed against her neck.

“It’s alright, monkey,” Fitz says in a low, hopefully calm voice. “It’s alright, you’re okay. You’re just fine.”

He continues to mumble to her, and she clings to him fiercely, burying her sobs into his neck.

It takes about ten minutes for her to cry herself out. She hiccups as the tears fade, breath wet and shaking. Fitz presses his lips to her hair, and gives her another squeeze.

“That was a little overwhelming, wasn’t it, monkey?”

Caroline nods.

“Do you want to try again? We don’t have to.”

After a moment of consideration, Caroline nods again. She squirms to be put down, and Fitz sets her on the ground, wiping away her tear tracks with his thumbs.

She takes his hand as they walk back inside. Just as they’re about to turn the corner, she squirms, and Fitz’s arm jerks as she plants her butt on the ground.

“Do you not want to go in?” Jemma asks, her thumbs sweeping over her fists.

Caroline points back at the mural.

“Okay,” Jemma says, “We can go look at that some more.”

Eventually, they all end up sat on the floor before it, when Fitz and Jemma’s feet begin to ache. Caroline crawls into Jemma’s lap, sitting between her crossed legs. They stay for almost an hour, as Caroline stares at the mural. Fitz and Jemma chat about their latest projects in low voices. They get some looks, but that’s fine. As long as Caroline is happy.

They leave when she starts to doze off.

She falls asleep fully in her car seat, and Fitz checks she’s asleep multiple times before he murmurs, “I thought this day would go a little differently.”

“Me too,” Jemma admits. “But that’s alright, we’re still learning.”

Fitz nods in agreement.

“I have an idea, though.”

Fitz gives a nervous smile at the mischievous twinkle in Jemma’s eye.

-

Caroline drops Fitz’s hand as they lead her into the kitchen, and she bypasses the counter as she wanders into the living room, staring hard at the blank TV.

“Caroline,” Fitz calls, trying to wave her back in.

Caroline picks up the TV remote, and starts clicking to turn the volume up.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?” Jemma asks.

“Bubbles,” Caroline says.

Jemma hides her grin. “That’s not coming from the TV. It’s coming from in here. Come see.”

The young girl sets down the remote on the floor in front of the TV and strolls back into the kitchen, looking around for the source of the noise. She twirls her brown curls absentmindedly as she searches.

“Come here, monkey,” Fitz says, holding his hands out.

Caroline continues her search.

“Do you want to see where the bubbles are coming from?”

Caroline nods.

“Then come here.”

Finally relenting, the girl walks over and allows herself to be lifted. Fitz settles her on the broad countertop, which separates the kitchen from the living room.  

Caroline stares.

Pressed against the wall is an aquarium. It’s large, with vegetation, multi-colored rocks, stickers on the glass, and a few hideouts. As they all watch, a purple fish pushes out from between the vegetation and flares its fins.

“ _Betta splendens_ ,” Caroline breathes.

Fitz and Jemma share a glance, biting back smiles.

“You can name her whatever you want,” Jemma says quietly. “She’s yours.”

Caroline stares in open-mouthed astonishment. For a while, they think she’s not going to say anything, or even react besides her gaped stare. But eventually, she glances toward Fitz, then points at the fish. “Monkey,” she says.

“Is that her name?” Jemma asks.

Caroline nods, and waggles her finger in the direction of the tank. “Monkey,” she says again.

Fitz beams.


End file.
